Kayla, Steve and Abe meet for lunch, but things sour when Roman wanders over to congratulate Abe on Theo’s new job. Abe launches into Theo making a mistake and Paulina pushing him towards it, then leaves.

Roman helps himself to Abe’s seat, then makes things awkward again when he brings up the bookstore reopening and book launch. Steve’s

 

 

uncomfortable as all hell with the topic, even after Roman leaves. Because they then turn to Stephanie and Jeremy (since they all think he outed her), and both parents admit they aren’t sure what happened between them years ago, but it was bad.

 

 

Theo meets JJ in the square to get the news that JJ’s — nope, never mind. Abe interrupts them so Theo sends JJ off and tells his dad about the blackout incident and his and JJ’s talk. Abe acknowledges he handled things well enough, but gets upset when Theo admits he talked to Paulina about it, but not his dad.

 

 

 

Julie shows Jeremy to the reopened bookstore… which doesn’t look super different from the before, but sure. Then Stephanie walks in, while Julie obliviously welcomes her. Jeremy sees himself out in a hurry, which finally clues Julie in that there’s something wrong. Even if she didn’t know what he did, why would she just assume everything’s great between two exes?

 

 

 

That’s pretty much what Stephanie says — they didn’t end things on good terms — but then Abe shows up looking for his mentee. That’s Stephanie’s cue to leave and Liam shows up (late) to introduce himself! (If you missed who’s playing him, it’s a name you’re familiar with!)

Abe lays down ground rules to a mildly disinterested Liam about showing up on time and making an effort, then gets to work. But Liam doesn’t want to make an effort and tells Abe he doesn’t “vibe” with the book they’re reading.

Who Is Jada’s Date?
Paulina meets Jada in her office to talk about how quiet Halloween is — for now! Paulina predicts people are still on edge after the blackout, because the town is full of utter hooligans, clearly. But Jada’s got it covered, even though she’ll be off tonight on a blind date.

Before she can say who it’s with, JJ pops in to say he’s staying a cop. That answers that!

Has Jeremy Really Changed?
Jeremy wheels out a massive pumpkin launcher for his students (in the square?!) just as JJ gets back. Neither seem to be able to escape their pasts.
Stephanie is setting up her book poster in the square when Kayla and Steve show up. He’s thrilled the new book is a mystery — and Kayla’s happy it’s fiction! Stephanie laughs, then glares over at Jeremy and JJ, with her parents turning around to join her.

Steph goes home to change just before Julie comes out to chat up Steve and Kayla. She’s so excited about this big reveal! That gets super awkward, as they tell Julie it’s all her cousin’s fault.

In the Show’s Final Moments
Paulina finds Theo outside The Pub, where he gives her a heads up about Abe’s latest annoyance: The two of them talking about JJ before Abe knew. She assures her stepson that her marriage will be just fine — which is a surefire sign of trouble! When Paulina asks how the new job is going, Theo mentions Tony’s disappearance. But it all worked out in the end! (Or did it?) He thanks Paulina for the encouragement.

Liam wants to leave, but Abe threatens to call the DA if he does. So he sits back down, clearly annoyed, and gets back to work.

Stephanie finds Jeremy in the hallway when she gets home. She demands to know what he’s doing there, then is horrified when Jada walks out to meet her date. They connected on a dating app! Steph gets a call and the two are gone before she can return.